Indicating device for theater seats



D. R. ALLEN AND .I

-A APPLICATION FILED SEPT-3. 1920. 1,429,057, PatentedSept. 12, 1922.

'INI/ENTOR. @Rw/m,

lamented`= sept. 12,Y 1922.

' imi-TED 'STATE s`ff-rArai'Nr oFF/ica.

e nAvIn ALLEN AN'n JoHN FnAiinx, or 'o raAHA, NEBRASKA.

` mnIcA'rING DEVICE ron THEATER s'EA'rs.

I fl" Appne'etien mea september a, 1920. serial rre. 408,063..

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, DAVID JOHN FRANEK, citizens of the United States,residin at Omaha, in the county of Douglas am? State of Nebraska, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicating Devices forTheater Seats; and

vwe do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the 1nvention, such as will enable `others skllled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same. This inventionrelates to an indlcatm device for theater seats, and the object 1s toprovidemeans for designatingvacant seats,A

so that an individual entering an auditorium or theater may be able toascertain at a glance, from-a point in the rear, which seats are turnedup and unoccupied.

A' further object is to provide in connec-` tion with a glowing elementenclosed in a casing mounted on the back ofthe seat,

I means for shielding the.` lowing element,

when the seat is turned own, and means connectin the shield with theseat per se, whereby ielshield is withdrawn for exposing theglowingelement when theseat is turned up, and therefore not in use, it beingunderstood in general that a seat may be turned vdown indicating use fora particu-l lar performance,lbut not perhaps'actually p occupied.

A still further object is to provide, in a device `for indicating vacantseats,o a casing or housing to be mounted on the back of the seat, aglowing element within the housing,

a slide or shield covering said glowin element at times, al springconnected wit the slide, and a exible device connected with said 4slideand with the lower side of theV seat, and serving to withdraw the slideagainst the tension ofthe s prin for expos-' lng the glowing orindicatlng e ement when the seat 1s in a raised position.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists inthe novel construction, eombination, and arrangement of elements`hereinafter described and claimed in the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating anindicatingdevice for theater lseats constructed in accordance `witgh ourinnrention,

@Figure 2 is a fronti" elevation illustrating the device and removedfrom a theater' chair,

`1 Figure 3 is a sectional view illustrating the same. v

In carrying out our invention, we employ a casing'10` of suitable formand configuration, designed for attachment tothe rea-r shield 16 is inan fopen position. Connected with the -slide isa spring 17, serving torestore the slide to normal position for closing the opening whenreleased by the liexible device referred to below.

Also connected with lthe. slide by means of a securing devlce such asshown at 18, is

a iexible device, or cord 19, passing throu h a guidingelement 20 andbeing secured `by means of any suitable device 21 to the lower sideofthe seat ci se.

The cord or other `flexible element is of such length, that when theseat is raised, -tension will 'be exerted on the cord and the slide willbe pulled downwardy exposing y the glowing element through opening 12.Upon moving the seat to operative' posltion,

tensionl on'the cord is relieved and the slide moves to closed positionunder the action of thespring. The glowing elementmay be ofphosphorescent material, or any other suitable substance l may be.'provided. The amount of light emitted willY of course be ineii'ect-in'the auditorium.

. aving thus fully ydescribed the invention, whatwe claim'is: A

l. A chair having a signalling elementl above the seat, said elementhaving a casing provided with a housing and an opening above thehousing, a s1 al op osite the opening, a shutter slida le in t e casingover saidopening, a sprin inthe housing connected to the casin anshutter to urge the latter to closed operatev the shutte 2. Achairhaving a'movable seat, and a signalling element above the seat,said eleposltion, and a means vto ment having a casing provided with ahous-l eo slight and will not interfere vwith the light- Able in thecasing over said opening, a'spring ing' amd.v an opening above the housna' 'In testimony whereof Wenx our signosgnalopposte the opening,V eshutterV slldatures in presenoe oftwo Witnesses.

\ j DAVID R. ALLEN. in the housing connected to2-thecasing and l f eJOHN FRANEK. shutter to urge the latter to closed POSti'oIl, Witnesses:f and a flexible 'operating element connected JosEPHV., KASPAR, to theshutter and tothe seat. H JosmH Komm.'

